Psalm 84

Psalm 84 

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

2 

My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

10 

For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord…” The passion of the psalmist is Heaven. But he isn’t just saying he’d rather be in Heaven than on Earth. He is seeking the presence of God. Do you long for the presence of God… so much so that you’re ‘faint’ or weak without it? We don’t have to wait until we get to Heaven for this. We can enter the presence of God through prayer, worship, or the study of Scripture.

But, if we are honest with ourselves, we often forget to seek God’s presence. Not only do we not crave it, we don’t do anything to pursue it. We even grumble and complain about going to church, where we are supposed to be corporately entering the throne room of the Father.  We put things like work, friends, school, or sleep before seeking the presence of God and our ego, pride, or distractions keep us from true worship.

Some of us are afraid of God’s presence. Surely if I truly spend time with God, He will point out the sin in my life I am not ready to let go of… Maybe he will ask me to do something I am not ready to do… What will others think if I make God and His presence a priority in my life…. What sacrifices will God require?

Each of these things is likely true. God will require repentance from sin. He will ask you to get out of your comfort zone as you love others like he does. He will ask you to give of your time and focus more on him than on yourself. But why are you running from these things? They are the purpose of the Christian life and God requires them because He love us so much that He wants us to live a life that is abundant and full.  Seek God’s presence.

Psalm 16:11- You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;
 at your right hand are pleasures forevermore